Two killed as Australian tour bus plunges off road

STAFF WRITER , WITH AGENCIES, SYDNEY

Two Taiwanese nationals were killed and 22 injured in Australia yesterday when a bus full of Taiwanese tourists on their way to visit a temple ran off a road and rolled 10m down an embankment, police said.

The 24-seater bus was taking the group to the Nan Tien Temple near the coastal city of Wollongong, south of Sydney, when the accident happened, police said.

"As a result of the crash, a man and woman died at the scene," police said in a statement, adding that another seven people are in critical condition and have been airlifted to hospital.

The tour group was organized by Taipei's Cola Tours.

As of press time, the names of the two victims had not yet been released.

Representatives from the travel agency yesterday said they had contacted the families of all tour members and arranged for them to fly to Australia today to take care of their loved ones.

The Taiwanese representative office in Sydney yesterday said 22 of the 24 passengers on board the bus held Taiwanese passports.

An official from the representative office told the AAP news agency that they were still trying to confirm details about the whereabouts of those on board. The official said one of the critically injured was in Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney.

"But the others we don't know about; we don't know where they are," he said.